Nova Psychology Center Gives Students Practical Experience

DAVIE - — That is not a hearing aid in the ear of a psychology student counseling patients at the Nova Southeastern University Mental Health Center.

It is the newest teaching aid.

Like news anchors getting cues through their ear pieces, Nova psych students can learn to deal directly with clients while a professor watches on TV and whispers advice in their ears.

New technology is scattered throughout the clinic and the rest of the $7 million Maltz Psychology Building, which opened last summer and was dedicated by Nova on Friday.

Nova is one of few universities in the nation with a working mental health clinic inside its psychology building, rather than across town. Nova students now can obtain more practical experience than they previously could.

"Our students learn how to apply the principle in the real world. It's not just theoretical, it's practical," university President Ovid Lewis said.

Lachelle Tillman of Lauderhill has been there and knows.

Tillman, a mother of two, said Nova's clinics helped rescue her from two years of deep depression, three suicide attempts and more recently, drug abuse.

Tillman, 41, said found herself barely able to get out of bed most days. After a while, she would not leave her house.

"I spent my days crying, my nights crying," she said.

Her teen-age son and daughter were losing faith in her. They finally persuaded her to go to a Nova clinic in Lauderdale Lakes and later the new one in Davie. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder (manic depressive illness), received medication and now is a waitress and physical therapy student.

The 24-hour, walk-in clinic is the centerpiece of the new psych building. It handles adults, senior citizens, teens and children with psychiatric problems. The state pays toward the care of low-income patients.

The rest of the two-story building is devoted to classrooms and offices of professors and staff. Before it opened, the psychology department was scattered in various spots, including leased space.